There was more fretboard masturbation than you could shake a stick at, on stage at Auckland’s Vector Arena. Seventies bands, The Doobie Brothers & Santana, two of the most influential guitar groups to have shaped the course of music history, both sounding as relevant and impressive as they did in their heyday.

The unmistakeable vocal harmonies of The Doobies, succulently on display, Jesus Is Just Alright, Black Water & China Grove, had the audience on their feet, the songs seemingly hitting a spot with the crowd as the packed Vector chamber erupted into spontaneous song & dance.

Led by founding vocalists Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, who greeted the crowd now and then, Johnston in his southern drawl with trademark moustache, while Simmons with his long locks, both men looked remarkably unchanged.

Their voices were pure, the music unrefined, I was surprised how many great songs these guys have had. Hit after hit popped up, Listen to The Music, Eyes of Silver, The Doctor, even Takin’ It to The Streets without virtuoso vocalist Michael McDonald sounded sublime.

Sax player Marc Russo was a highlight, the looming ex-Tower of Power member hitting his stride playing with a very relaxed demeanour. I couldn’t help but notice his resemblance to actor Sam Elliot.

Guitarist John McFee backing up Simmons & Johnston with his tasty guitar licks while Ed Toth kept a solid steer of things on drums, barely missing a beat.

If there was any doubt of Carlos Santana’s relevance in this day and age then, then gauging by the crowd reaction to his on stage entrance, there was no doubt who they were here to see.

His guitar sound the epitome of cool, birthed at Woodstock forty something years ago, his recognisable form with trademark hat and white attire, accented by his Paul Reed Smith guitar, as he took to the podium resembling a sight akin to a street carnival than a stage.

Three drummers (including wife Cindy Santana) each in sync providing the Latino rhythm so prominent on the Mexican/American guitarists music, as he chiselled away at hits Maria Maria, Evil Ways and hit song Black Magic Woman.

Santana has always been interested in our country’s Maori culture with an interesting rarked up version of Enya’s Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) including black & white video footage of a Maori Kapa Haka group on the giant screen.

In-between his quasi- religious rantings and Trumpism’s, “You don’t have Donald Duck with you.” The guy made his guitar do all the talking, his staccato picking piercing the Vector hall as his band partied with the Auckland crowd – it was worthwhile just hearing the guy play – Epic.

As the random bro next to me said, “Its not everyday you see four guitarists.” Referring to the earlier Doobie’s spectacle. Well, including Santana that’s a whole lot of guitar solo for your money, ‘fretboard masturbating’ aside it was definitely worthwhile, and yes, there was a ‘happy’ ending.

Starcrawler have shared their new track & video for 'Let Her Be'. This is the first track from their debut album produced by Ryan Adams, which is due for release early next year on Rough Trade Records.

Auckland-based band Racing have released the video for their track ‘Let It Slip’ - giving Kiwi fans a taste of the magic to come on their nationwide tour, which kicked off in Mount Maunganui last night.

US indie rock pioneers The Shins are returning to New Zealand for one show at Auckland’s Powerstation this November. One of the most significant indie bands of the 21st century, this will be their first show on our shores in ten years.

Kylie Price has just released her new album Bones. Last week she appeared on theNZ Entertainment Podcast, where she sang a new song I Dont Want To Go off the album while talking shop about her dream gig to play with Ed Sheeran and her Philipino roots.

Last week I caught up withPeter Hook ahead of returning down under for Australasian leg of the Joy Division and New Order Substance tour. We had a great chat about the spirit of punk, what it takes to write a book and why shows like the X-factor are so unhealthy…

Long established as one of New Zealand’s finest acts, South Pacific reggae-soul legends, The Black Seeds are set to tour the country in September, following the release of their long awaited 6th studio album Fabric, (out today - Friday September 8th).

Jacqueline Nalpant is a Booking Agent for the Paradigm Talent Agency, and is heading to New Zealand early next month where she'll be one of the speakers for the Going Global Music Summit (Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd September at Roundhead Studios, Auckland).

Since making her musical debut with her song Drift early last year, fast attracting a solid fan base and over 1 million plays across Spotify and Soundcloud in just a few months, Madeline North, better known by her musical moniker So Below, has once again blessed us with a moodier, masterful electro-pop banger, titled Ruin.

Since forming in 1998, the Antwerp, Belgium based trio Triggerfinger have long become a mainstay on the rock scene, building a solid reputation across Europe, the US, Canada and beyond, as one of the hardest-driving and sharpest dressing bands around.

Popular metalcore group Northlane are on their way to New Zealand. The Sydney band are touring North America taking in countries like Chile and Mexico as they head our way down-under next month to play Wellington’s San Fran then Auckland at the iconic Kings Arms.

Returning to New Zealand for the first time in three years, Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake are on their way to our shores next month for a quick run of shows supporting their label cohorts Northlane.

Courtney Marie Andrews has landed in New Zealand, and set to play two concerts this week with Joe Pug - tonight at San Fran in Wellington (Wed July 19) and tomorrow night at The Tuning Fork in Auckland (Thu July 20).

Auckland two-piece Skinny Hobos, Alex Elvis and Texas Holdom, are heading on a 5 date New Zealand tour with headliners Decades, Bakers Eddy and Dead Favours. Kicking off tonight in Hamilton (July 14), the tour will also take them to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and finishes up in Dunedin.

Have you ever considered sharing your most personal experiences with the entire world? Well come this Friday 14th July, that’s what Emma Cameron, the rocking front-woman of kiwi band Decades is about to do, when they release their long-awaited full length debut album, The Truth And Other People, so we sat down with the cheerful front woman to discover just what truth this album reveals..

Whilst Sonny Landreth is a well known slide-guitar master, zydeco enthusiast and phenomenal blues legend, what you may not know about him, is that he is one of the nicest gentlemen in the entire universe.

He was always the boy next door type energy, that type of person you just always wanted to be around. From day one, Shay Taylor has always been one to break the mold and live life in such a vibrant and contagious manner, that no matter who he spoke to, they walked away feeling great!

One month on from the release of their third album [Wade Waist Deep], American rock band Thomas Wynn & The Believers are back on the road, breaking beyond the southern rock scene with complex, pulsing rhythms and breathtaking harmonies.

From the soaring Jerusalem and patriotic Rule Britannia to iconic Brit pop and much-loved classics, Auckland Symphony Orchestra will take you on a musical journey that will have you dropping your cuppa and singing your heart out!

Johnny Barker is back with the release of his latest album 'Sleepwalking'. Now known simply as BARKER, many Kiwis will recognise him from TV shows such as Cover Band, Go Girls and as the terrifying and iconic Shortland Street character, Joey Henderson aka The Ferndale Strangler.

Ever get a catchy ad tune stuck in your head? Then prepare yourself for 20 of them…! After an award-winning season in Wellington, Jingles - The Musical will thrill Auckland audiences with a reinterpretation of classic New Zealand ad melodies – telling a hilarious story of a small-town girl perched on the edge of stardom.

Delaney Davidson ~ New Zealand’s very own travelling troubadour, loop maestro, noir protagonist, promotional coyote and production svengali is now also the star of his very own documentary, Devil In The Parlour, which is a part of the Doc Edge Film Fest that gets underway in Auckland this week.

After reviewing the latest album by The Sad Song Co. I wanted to sit down and chat more with Nigel Powell about how it came together, and how being a solo artist fits into his life touring with Frank Turner.

Starcrawler have shared their new track & video for 'Let Her Be'. This is the first track from their debut album produced by Ryan Adams, which is due for release early next year on Rough Trade Records.